Hand Misting - 100% must. It allows you to "spot mist" and forces the hobbyist to "engage" the viv. Hand misters are cheap and available EVERYWHERE in many sizes and colours . Use a clean / new one.

Auto Misting system - Very important in large scale operations and multiple vivs....like 10-20 or more. Allows for vacations and time off....greatly assists in that manner. MistKing is one such product / brand.

Cool Mist "ultrasonic" Fogging - Least important but def a helpful addition. Some plants prefer it and thrive better with the cool ultrasonic mist rather than a fine water droplet spray. A "Wow" factor for guests to enjoy as well. Has it's place in the hobby but certainly comes after misting in terms of importance. The unit sits OUTSIDE the vivarium and the mist is plumbed into the vivarium via a tube. KAZ and Vicks are two examples of Brands / companies.

In-viv circular or Disc "bubbler" fogger that gets set in a pool of water inside the viv - Complete trash and dangerous.....kills animals and malfuntions always.

i use the hand misting system and it works well for me. i've been thinking about eventually having a misting system or ultrasonic.

are there any frog safety issues associated with ultrasonic units or misting systems such as the amount of pressure expelled if a frog is directly in proximity of the misting unit? are there adjustments to pressure?

Natures Gems wrote:i use the hand misting system and it works well for me. i've been thinking about eventually having a misting system or ultrasonic.

are there any frog safety issues associated with ultrasonic units or misting systems such as the amount of pressure expelled if a frog is directly in proximity of the misting unit? are there adjustments to pressure?

tom

No problems, issues or health concerns that I have ever seen or heard.

My personal experience - I've had azureus literally "bathe" under the flow / output of the cool mist. I'm sure they even sought it out.

While I don't think running a fogger the entire time lights are on is at all a good thing, I do think they have their place. If they're run connected to a quality humidistat or say 15 to 20 sec a few times a day to supplement misting, I think they are beneficial. Many people keep their tanks entirely too wet from misting, so I think these ultrasonic humidifiers serve as a way to boost humidity without absolutely soaking the tank.

There are some interesting pictures in the species account section of the Lotters et al. book of the habitat of either Oophaga arborea or vicentei (I don't have my book here right now to be sure...doing this off memory) where trees and bromeliads are totally shrouded in mist. I know these aren't species that are readily around (or around at all), but that would be an interesting habitat to replicate.

Hand spraying or even general misting?...it varies from tank to tank and physical location. There is no such thing as a guide on how much to mist or what humidity to arrive at. Humidity and misting are husbandry aspects that each hobbyist is going to have to 'feel their way around'.

Philsuma wrote:Hand spraying or even general misting?...it varies from tank to tank and physical location. There is no such thing as a guide on how much to mist or what humidity to arrive at. Humidity and misting are husbandry aspects that each hobbyist is going to have to 'feel their way around'.

So any guidelines about humidity? What are the needs of the frog? Can I just look at a gauge? Feel the soil?

You are shooting for anywhere from 60-80% relative humidity inside the enclosures. Keep about an inch of water in your false bottom and spray the tank every day and watch the glass sides and overall inside. At first, err on the side of caution and spray often - too much is better than too little.

You'll get the hang of it. You can also practice spraying BEFORE you get frogs!